TF for Mac OS 10.6.8

[kharakim]

Is it possible that a future release of TF for the Mac might be able to run on OS 10.6.8? Given the user reviews of 10.7.X and 10.8.X, which apparently are much less stable and bug-free than 10.6.8, I’m avoiding them as long as possible.

[Brendan]

There are things that I am using in Tap Forms that are not available on 10.6.8, so I cannot build a version for 10.6.8. Plus I don’t have any Macs that are running 10.6.8 anymore.

Thanks,

Brendan

[DrJJWMac]

FWIW, I find OS X 10.8.4 to be a very welcomed, nicely-streamlined, and exceptionally useful update from OS X 10.6.8.

[kharakim]

It’s encouraging to hear that someone is having a good experience with 10.8.4 after reading so many negative reviews on App Store listing.

I’m wondering what kind of Mac you’re using–iMac, Mac Pro, etc.–because many of the negative reviews of 10.7.X and 10.8.X were written by laptop users.

[DrJJWMac]

MacBook Pro vintage early 2011. My cautions are …

* back up everything to Time Machine
* duplicate everything important in your home directory to somewhere else
* do a clean install when possible or be fully prepared to have to clean out stray hacks from your now-defunct software (the console log and terminal command line tools are your best friends here)
* be prepared to migrate applications by doing a fresh install (get those serial numbers on record first)
* shut down any sync services (Apple and third party) and save the files locally before the update … be prepared to reinstall the files and services after the update (see the Time Machine backup and the extra duplicate backup)

IOW, the headaches on 10.6.8 -> 10.8.x are not due to bugs in 10.8.x. They will instead come when you do a lazy/sloppy job to install and then clean up behind 10.6.8. Do not assume that Apple has this part correct. After I switched, I occasionally had to spend tedious amounts of time to track behind oddities and purge them (the Apple Forums come in handy here).

It may be worth to have your local Apple Store make the switch for you when you have some hesitation. Then at least, when the issues might start, you can take your machine back to the store, point at it, and say … “Fix it”!

I am completely happy that I switched.

[kharakim]

Thanks for your time and for sharing so much valuable information and suggestions. You’ve given me a lot to think about, and I will certainly keep a copy of these forum entries for future reference.

At this point I’m not sure my need to upgrade is sufficiently compelling to take the time and energy required to do it right. It’ll all depend on how much my wife and I use our iPad version of TF in the coming weeks and months, and how valuable it might be to add TF for the Mac on our iMacs.

Thanks again!

[DrJJWMac]

Hold out and update to Mavericks in about two months.

[kharakim]

Right you are!

[RicD]

Allow me to add the use of a cloning software, such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC).

Follow the advice of DrJJWMac, then clone your 10.6.8 making it is a bootable clone. That way when you upgrade to Mountain Lion or Mavericks, if everything goes South, you can copy that clone back to your system. You could even run off the clone as well. That way while you are tweaking 10.8.X or 10.9 you can still work off your 10.6.8 clone.

If you are not familiar with cloning, using one of the aforementioned programs makes it dead-simple. Also, it is much faster to copy a clone back than spending days rebuilding your system from scratch. One important thing is to clone to a external HDD not another partition on your local drive. If the local HDD takes a dirt nap your clone is lost as well; you may already have known that, however I would be remiss by not mentioning that.

Cordially,
RicD

[kharakim]

Thanks for the thought–I’ve been thinking along precisely the same lines.

I currently use SuperDuper on THREE external HDs. One is continuously connected to my iMac and gets a mirror backup once a day, and the other two are “recycled” twice a week between the home and our off-site location (the family car).

At this point I’m just waiting for Mavericks!

[RicD]

Hi Kharakim,
For many years SuperDuper! was my choice, however I moved to CCC. The main reason, CCC will copy the hidden partition that Lion, Mountain Lion, and possibly Mavericks, create. When Apple stopped providing CD DVD of their OS, download only, the install creates a hidden partition to restore the OS and to do maintenance. Both SuperDuper! and CCC are well worth their cost, saving time and aggravation.

[kharakim]

I’ve bookmarked CCC for the time when I move on to Mavericks. Thanks again.

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